Weak localization based enhancement of lasing emission under plasma atmosphere in Nd3+ doped (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 disordered ceramics

In this work, 1.5 mol% Nd3+ doped lanthanum lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) ceramics were prepared, and excellent optical properties including wide transmission window, broad absorption peaks and large phonon energy were obtained in the materials. Disordered structure from grain to grain was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic forced microscopy (AFM). Obvious enhancement of lasing emission in the specimen was investigated upon exposing to plasma atmosphere. The enhancement factor almost remained stable along with the increase of pumping power. The photoinduced scatterers, random walks and weak localization of light played vital roles in the enhanced lasing emission. To verify the weak localization of light and random lasing action, experiments about enhanced backscattering cone of light and random lasing oscillation were performed. A tentative physical picture based on optical energy storage and increased scatterers was proposed to elucidate the experimental results. This result provides a new way to design multifunctional lasers, sensors and amplifiers.